


Presence

by arwens_light



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: implied Finn/Poe Dameron if you squint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-25
Updated: 2015-12-25
Packaged: 2018-05-09 05:15:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5526776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arwens_light/pseuds/arwens_light
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rey attempts to adjust to the drastic changes in her life while dealing with the fact that she is no longer alone in her dreams.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Presence

She was only at the Resistance base for a few days before leaving to look for Luke Skywalker, but everything was so different from what she was accustomed to.

There no harsh sun beating down in unbearable heat. Most importantly, there was no sand. She hated sand.

D’Qar was a lush, green plains planet with soft rolling hills. Takodana, the very first planet she had visited since leaving Jakku, had a very similar climate to the planet the Resistance had set up their primary control base on, but she had only been on Takodana for a few short hours before being taken away by _him_.

The weather felt cooler than Jakku because of the humidity and the smaller sun. At night, the temperatures could get pretty damn cold. Rey found that she preferred the coldness of space to the damp weather of D’Qar. Her first night on planet, Rey found herself caught in the memories of the frozen landscape of Starkiller Base – so powerfully that it almost consumed her. Lieutenant Connix had discovered her hiding inside one of the air vents, tears staining her face and mumbling about an ocean. The Lieutenant had taken her straight to Leia Organa. General Organa had been so kind to her since she had arrived on planet, greeting her with a warm embrace. Rey couldn’t put her finger on it, but something made her immediately trust the General. The older woman had seen to it that Rey was given new clothes more suitable for the environment and a hot meal.

The cafeteria was a pleasant surprise, stocked full of rations she had never tried before - vegetation, roots, breads and dried meats. Her first pass through, she had almost eaten herself sick, unable to stop herself from sampling as many different things as she could fit on her plate. Lieutenant Connix had given her an odd look before assuring her that she would be able to come back to the cafeteria again tomorrow to eat – no trading or credits required.

Under General Organa’s instruction, the Millennium Falcon was reassigned to Chewbacca, with Rey as his co-pilot. Lieutenant Connix registered her as a pilot under the Resistance and provided her with a comm link and her recruit insignia.

In between meetings with Resistance leaders and helping Chewbacca make repairs on the Millennium Falcon, Rey would sit with Finn, watching over him as the medical droids monitored his vitals and changed his dressing. They said his heart was strong and that he would pull through, but Rey was still worried about him.

Finn.

Her first real friend.

He wasn't much taller than her, but he looked so much smaller laying in his bed at the medical unit. His vitals were holding steady, she could hear it on the auditory monitor and she could… just sense it, but she still worried.

Poe Dameron would come visit Finn while she sat with him, or on one occasion, was already there when she arrived. The two pilots would sit in comfortable silence, watching over their friend.

But above all else, it was the access to fresh water on this planet that was the biggest adjustment from life on Jakku.

Showers were strange. On Jakku, she cleaned herself with sand, scrubbing the perspiration and grime off of her skin. The extra water for washing one's self was not something that she had expected. The water had been scorching hot, then ice cold, pounding down in sharp droplets against her face. She had ended up shutting off the water and sitting in the corner, her knees pulled up to her chest, looking and feeling like a wet and pathetic creature.

It was Poe who told her about the hot springs. She much preferred that to the showers. She would sneak down in the early hours of the morning when the others were still asleep and soak in the warm pools, allowing the waters to wash away her vivid dreams.

In the darkness of night, she could feel him in her head. Not meddling in her mind. Just a feeling of his presence. She knew that he had not died on the Starkiller base. She couldn't explain it, but she just knew. He was always off in the shadows, just out of reach, but she could feel him, sense him, as if he was right beside her. She could feel if he was angry, or scared... or lonely.

She was always just out of his reach, just outside of the shadows. She was always in the light, while he was shrouded in darkness.

In the darkness of night, when the moon shone bright, he could feel her too.

**Author's Note:**

> A/N - this was just calling to me and I couldn't resist the urge to write this down. I might write more as inspiration hits... I am really digging the Rey/Kylo Ren | Ben Solo connection, but am a little hesitant to explore it too much because we don't know Rey's parentage and WON'T have answers for two years...


End file.
